3 High-Protein Breakfasts To Fuel Your Day

Food that's worth waking up for.

Part of becoming your #strongestSELFever is learning to give your body the fuel (read: FOOD!) it needs. Everybody, and every body, is unique, and the number of calories you need every day depends on your height, weight, gender, activity levels, and all kinds of other factors. This calculator from the USDA can give you a good idea of how much you should be eating. If you want more a more personalized analysis and breakdown of your daily food needs, consult a doctor or a registered dietitian. And if you have a history of disordered eating, you should check with a doctor before making any dietary tweaks at all. For some people, the healthiest thing to do is to ignore calories entirely.

Keeping that in mind, the goal of this challenge is to get stronger and feel great. These breakfast recipes give you the energy you need to start the day off right, with a balance of carbs, fat, and protein. Try making a big batch of the strawberry-oat topping on Sunday to eat all week, or roast sweet potatoes ahead of time so that all you have to do in the morning is make scrambled eggs!

Roasted Oat and Strawberry Yogurt Parfait

Roasted strawberries and oats turn into a sweet, sticky mixture that’s the perfect yogurt topping. If you love the recipe, you can triple it and still fit the ingredients on a single sheet pan! Just cool the leftovers and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

Ingredients

6 large strawberries, cored and quartered

¼ cup rolled oats

1½ tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

2 tsp honey

Sprinkle of cinnamon

Sprinkle of lemon zest (optional)

Pinch of salt

1 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds

¾ cup plain 2-percent-fat Greek yogurt

Preparation

Heat oven to 350° and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

In a bowl, stir together strawberries, oats, coconut, honey, cinnamon, zest, and salt. Spread mixture on lined sheet pan. Bake 30 minutes, or until strawberries are soft and shriveled. Sprinkle on sunflower seeds and let cool 5 minutes. Spoon yogurt into a bowl and top with strawberry mixture. Refrigerate extra strawberry mixture up to 5 days.

Savory Crepe With Blistered Tomatoes and Avocado

These savory crepes are high in protein, thanks to the cottage cheese. If you want, make a big batch of the batter and store in the fridge up to 4 days.

Ingredients

2 tsp olive oil, divided

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp chopped basil leaves

Salt and pepper

½ cup rolled oats

¼ cup cottage cheese

¼ cup liquid egg whites (or 2 large egg whites)

2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk

¼ medium ripe avocado, thinly sliced

Preparation

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tsp olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and basil, and season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are very soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

In a blender, puree oats, cottage cheese, egg whites, almond milk, and a pinch of salt, scraping down sides every 20 seconds or so; mixture will start out dry and lumpy but end up smooth and runny.

In a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat remaining 1 tsp olive oil. Pour batter into skillet, swirling to spread in a thin layer. Cook 1 minute, until edges are set, crepe is starting to bubble, and underside is lightly browned. Carefully flip, then cook another minute. Place avocado slices inside crepe, top with tomato mixture, and fold.

Scrambled Egg–Stuffed Sweet Potato With Parmesan

Stuffed sweet potatoes are super fun to eat, but feel free to chop up your sweet potato and mix it into the cooked scramble instead.

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, washed

1 tsp olive oil

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

2 large eggs, beaten

1 cup baby spinach, loosely packed

½ oz Parmesan, grated

Black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Prick sweet potato with a fork all over, then wrap in damp paper towel and microwave on high for 6 minutes or until soft. Set aside.

In a nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Reduce heat to low and add eggs, stirring constantly until set but slightly runny, about 1 minute. Add spinach and Parmesan and cook, stirring, just until spinach has wilted and cheese is melted, about 1 minute. Cut open sweet potato, then spoon scrambled egg mixture inside and on top. Sprinkle with black pepper, if desired.